Department of Health and Social Care

Cystic Fibrosis: Drugs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department's policy that people with cystic fibrosis will have access to (a) Orkambi, (b) Symkevi and (c) Kaftrio through the NHS.

Will Quince: Orkambi, Symkevi and Kaftrio are currently available as treatment options for eligible National Health Service patients with cystic fibrosis, under the terms of a commercial agreement reached between NHS England and the manufacturer. This agreement has enabled the collection of data to inform a full appraisal of these medicines by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is currently underway.NICE published draft guidance on 3 November 2023 which does not recommend Orkambi, Symkevi and Kaftrio for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The draft guidance is now subject to a public consultation and NICE’s committee will carefully consider all evidence as well as comments received during the consultation in developing its final guidance, which is expected to be published on 20 March 2024. Patients already receiving these treatments will have continued access following the publication of NICE’s final guidance, regardless of the outcome.

Ferric Maltol: Chipping Barnet

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that Ferric Maltol is available on prescription to people in Chipping Barnet constituency.

Will Quince: Clinicians can prescribe any product on the National Health Service they consider necessary for the treatment of their patient unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 to the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004. Ferric Maltol is not listed in Schedules 1 or 2; however, NHS guidance is that vitamins and minerals should not be routinely prescribed except for when a patient has a medically diagnosed deficiency. This includes those patients who may have a lifelong or chronic condition or have undergone surgery that results in malabsorption. Ferric Maltol, which may be used to treat iron deficiency, may therefore be prescribed to patients, including those in Chipping Barnet constituency, on that basis.It is for the general practitioner or other responsible clinician to work with their patient and decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration. Clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, considering best prescribing practice and the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care board.

Health: Working Hours

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of night work on (a) the level of risk of diagnosis with diabetes, (b) the level of risk of diagnosis with cardiovascular disease and (c) other health outcomes.

Will Quince: We have made no such assessment.The Major Conditions Strategy will set out how we intend to tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England which include cancers; cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes; chronic respiratory diseases; dementia; mental ill health; and musculoskeletal conditions.

Cefiderocol and Ceftazidime

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to make (a) Cefiderocol and (b) Ceftazidimethose available on the NHS.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE published guidance in August 2022 recommending both ceftazidime with avibactam and cefiderocol for treating severe drug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections. This was as part of a project to test a new health technology evaluation process and payment model for antimicrobial products. NHS England has now issued contracts with the suppliers and cefiderocol and ceftazidime with avibactamare available for clinicians to prescribe in line with NICE’s recommendations.

Abiraterone: Prostate Cancer

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the decision to reject the use of the drug Abiraterone to tackle prostate cancer.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that guides the National Health Service on funding new medicines, based on clinical and cost-effectiveness.. The NHS is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within 3 months of final guidance.NICE has recommended abiraterone for the treatment of metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer before chemotherapy is indicated and for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen. NHS England funds abiraterone in line with NICE’s recommendations, ensuring access for eligible patients.Abiraterone is not licensed for the treatment of non-metastatic prostate cancer and has therefore not been appraised by NICE for such use. NHS England is currently considering a clinical policy proposal for abiraterone as a treatment option for potential use in specific cases. The proposal is due to be discussed later this month, with potential stakeholder testing by January 2024, if supported.

Romosozumab: Osteoporosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has a planned timescale for when romosozumab will be available in the NHS for the treatment of Osteoporosis.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.NICE published guidance in May 2022 recommending romosozumab for treating severe osteoporosis in people after menopause who are at high risk of fracture. Romosozumab is therefore available for clinicians to prescribe to NHS patients who meet the specified criteria, in line with NICE’s recommendations.

Vaccination: Manufacturing Industries

Jack Brereton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) UK’s vaccine vial production capability, (b) reliance of the UK on the import of medical grade vials and (c) security of UK supply chains in the event of a future pandemic.

Maria Caulfield: The Department for Business and Trade has not conducted assessments on these specific goods. The Government has established strategic partnerships with industry to maintain security of vaccine supply in the event of a pandemic. This includes our partnership with Moderna which is building an innovation and technology centre with capacity from 2025 to produce up to 250 million doses of mRNA vaccines annually onshore in the United Kingdom.The UK Health Security Agency has also agreed an advanced purchase agreement with Seqirus UK Limited to access 100 million vaccines if a future influenza pandemic is declared. The manufacturing process will be based entirely in the UK, giving better security of access if global demand ever outweighs supply. As part of these contracts, the Government regularly assesses risks that may impact the performance of the contract.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Plans: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on establishing a Local Plan for the City of York.

Rachel Maclean: The York local plan remains at examination and it is for the City of York to bring forward a sound Local Plan as part of the examination process.It is important to ensure that progress on the York Local Plan is maintained and the Independent Inspectors are given the opportunity to take the examination to its conclusion.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to improve the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter.

Mark Spencer: Legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. Acting on recommendations from the 2021 Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 my department asked the Animal Welfare Committee to update its 2014 Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing and we are studying their recommendations carefully to determine next steps.